Steam-boiler furnace.



S. G. THOMSON.

STEAM BOILER FURNACE. APPLICATION man FEB. a, 191s.

1,147,567. g Patented July 20, 1915.

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S. G. THOMSON.

.STEAM BOILERl FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED ri. 3. 191s.

1,147,567. Patented July 20, 1915.

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OLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINUTQN D. C.

' "fr-En :lerares ,PATENT orario STEAM-BOILER FURNACE.

Specification of Letters vluatent. -Patented July 20, 1915.

vApplication ledzFebruary 3, 191,3. Serial N o. 745,882.

To all whom t may concern.'

`Be it Yknown that I, SAMUEL G.THoMsoN,

`a citizen ofthe United -States, and, resident Y 4.of Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania,

haveinvented ,a new and useful Improvement in VSteam-Boiler Furnaces, ofwhich the following is a full,.-clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings. v

The several figures `ofthe drawings are more or less conventional or` diagrammatic.

Figures l and'2are plan views. illustrating the simplest forms of my` invention as applied to alocomotive; Fig. 3 is a side view of the arrangementshown in. Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view similar. to Fig. Sbut showing a modification; Fig. 5 isa plan viewy of Fig. 4;;Fig. .6 kis an-end view;iFigs..v7 andS are detail sectional views; Figs. 9,.10.and 11 are detail sectional views `showing various arrangements of.` the exhaust pipe vconnec- My invention lhas relation to steam boiler furnaces, and .it consists in the provision of improved means for increasing the combustion by drawing steam through the fire. For this purpose I preferably make usel of theforced draft caused by the exhaust of the engine. The suction produced on the fire by the exhaust in thestacl draws steam through the hot bed of coals so rapidly that vthe steam is decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen. The result is that ,both the hydrogen and oxygen burn to create la very intense heat, the oxygen burning rapidly on account of being liberated in anatmosphere of free hydrogen. Large quantities of wet steam can thus be used to add to the combustion `gases yof the boiler, the steam being preferably exhaust steam,v which- `is yentirely a waste product, and the wetter itis the better it serves the purpose.

My invention provides for the utilization of the exhaust steam from the engine supplied by the boiler, and is particularly adapted for -use on locomotives, although it may be appliedwith advantage to stationary boilers. It also preferably provides/for the utilization of steam from the exhaust of the air-pump engine, and also, when desired, for use 1n connection with the exhaust steam of a proper amount of live steam taken vdirectly from the boiler. Where steam is used from more than one source, valve `means .are provided. whereby the supply fromeachsource Ican .be readily controlled.

invention. also' provides means of ..noVel characterv for.fblowing, the collected ashesfrom the flaring sides .of the ash, pan into the .centralv portion of they ash pan.

Another object of my invention is the utilization ofthe steam, to prevent @linkeringin the fire box.

Referring first to the `diagram of Fig. l', in which I` .havev shown `the simplest, form of my invention,` thenumeral 2 designates the .,boiler, 3 thefire box, and'the cylinders of ,an ordinary locomotive. '6 designates a pipe, which leadsfrom thev exhaust .of one orbothof the. cylinders `5`into the ashpan ofY the; fire boxA below. the grate. When the locomotive, is w0rkinga certain amount of the exhaust steam `from the cylinders is fed into the lire automatically by the pipe, the l amount of thisy exhaust steam..depending uponathe size ofthis pipe, and the arrangement. of the openings in thefexhaust cavity. When thelocomotive is not .working, no

steam. is ,discharged under, the fire. Thatis y f to say, steamv is onlyfurnished. to the lire when there isla strong exhaust topull it through the'coals. `The pipe 6 has a branch 7 communicating with the exhaust of the engine of the air.` pump 8. -In this form, the

` air,- pumpengine discharges part of its ex- .ihaust steam 'under the iire when the locomotive is` not working its steam cylinders, the remaining .part of theair pump exhaust coming out of the stack` in. the usual manner, the proportionrof'exhaust steam coming each waydepending on the size andarrangement of the pipes. VWhen the locomotive'is working steam in itsV steam cylinders,

the pressure of the exhaust from` the steam- Vcylinders automatically drives all of the air pump. exhaust steamH into theash pan, thus supplying very large quantities of wet steam underthe lire. 4'In this way,.as Amuch wet steam can be supplied as canube advanta-r geously utilized to intensify the combustion vwithout dampening the fire. i n

Fig. v2 shows an arrangement similar to Fig. l, but inivthis case thepipe 446 has one branch 9 discharging into the front portion of the ash panV and another branch 10 discharging into the ,backportion of the ash pan. Avalvell isalsoadded vbetween the juncture of the air pumpexhaust and `the ash pan. This valve can be operated by suitable actuating connections 12, leading into the engine cab. By the provision of this valve, the supply of steam under the re can be cut off or adjusted according to the work the locomotive is doing, the condition of the fire, the quality of coal which is being used, etc.

Fig. 3 shows in diagram an elevation of a locomotive having a similar arrangement to that shown in Fig. 2, except that a valve 13 is provided which can be closed to cause all of the exhaust steam in the steam cylinders to exhaust into the stack at 181. Vith this valve closed and the valve 13 opened, all of the air pump exhaust steam will go into the ash pan.

Figs. 4 and 5 show substantially the same arrangement as that shown in Fig. 3, except that they are more complete, Fig. 5 showing two of the pipes 6, one .connecting with the exhaust of each cylinder 5, and each pipe having a plurality of discharges along the sides of the ash pan in addition to the branches 9 and 10 before described and leading into the front and back portions of the ash pan respectively. In these gures I have also shown a connection 14 connecting one of the pipes 6 with one of the steam domes 15 of the locomotive boiler. This pipe connection 14 has a valve 15a, and may be used for the purpose of introducing live steam from the locomotive boiler to blow down the ashes from the sides of the ash pan, or for introducing live steam to facilitate the combustion and disintegrate the clinker on the grates, when the exhaust steam is not of sufficient capacity.

The exhausts along the sides vof the ash pan are in the form of jet nozzles 16, their arrangement being more clearly shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. These nozzles may be directed at any desired angle, these three iigures showing different angular arrangements. In Fig. 8 the pipe is shown as being within the upper portion of the ash pan, while in Fig. 7 it is shown as extending along the outer side thereof, the nozzles 16 projecting through an opening which is formed between the upper edge of the outwardly flaring portions 16a of the lire box, over the wheels, and the bottom of the mud ring 16h.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 I have illustrated different forms of the connection between the intake end of one of the pipes 6 and the exhaust cavity 17 of the steam engine. The intake end of the pipe may be made flush with the inside of the exhaust cavity, as shown in Fig. 11, in which case, on account of the pressure of the steam as it comes out of the cylinder, some of the exhaust will be forced back through the pipe 6 into the ash pan. 1f the end of the pipe 6 is curved downwardly, as shown at 6a in Fig. 10, or is beveled as shown at 6b in Fig. 9, it will entrap more steam on account of the velocity of the steam being added to the pressure. Various other arrangements of the intake end of the pipes 6 can be made without departing from my invention. Thus, the pipe shown in Fig. 11 may move to vary the extent of its projection in to the exhaust cavity 17 and thus vary the amount of steam which is entrapped.

The principle of my invention diders fundamentally from the practice of admitting live steam direct from the boiler itself into the ash pit of the stationary boiler through the agency of a fan, such as is frequently used for the purpose of preventing clinker from forming over the grates. In such an arrangement, the success or failure of the system depends on the furnishing of steam by the fans in exactly the right proportion for the air that is drawn in with it in order that the oxygen of the air may be sufficient to burn the clinker. 1f the right amount of air is not supplied, the practice is a failure, and the steam causes a dampening of the fire and a consequent loss instead of gain in heating capacity. Under the best conditions in which these fans are used on the stationary boilers, the live steam employed furnished very little water; and what is furnished usually passes through the fire and out through the tubes without the heat becoming high enough to decompose the water into its component parts. With my arrangement, the strong suction over the fire, caused by the engine exhaust, draws the wet steam into and through a very hot fire before it has had a chance to dampen the coal. Tt thus comes into contact with the heat. which frees the oxygen and hydrogen and causes them both to burn. The disintegration of the wet steam begins at about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and is well completed at about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This disintegration is only possible where the fire is forced, as by my method of exhaust suction. The high temperatures developedwhich probably reach the neighborhood of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit,-are indicated by the presence of white molten slag through the body of the coal, this slag being burned to a crisp, so that it falls to pieces and does not clog the fire. The disintegration of the wet steam and the burning up of the clinker is one of the greatest advantages of my improvement. Experience has shown that it effects even a greater economy in the cost of labor it saves in cleaning rires, than the economy caused by the addition of the oxygen and hydrogen from the steam and the combustion gases, and the added amount of carbon which their burning together causes to be consumed.

My improvement, as ap'plied to locomotives, elliectively disintegrates all clinker, so that even when burning very bad coal, the lires can be `kept clean by shaking the ashes through the grates. The ashesfallthrough the, grates in very small particles instead of running together -and clinkering in large lumps. This enables locomotives tolbe` kept in service for several days at atimewithout having their lires cleaned, it only being necessary to go to the ash pit to empty the ash pan. This is agreat saving in labor over the usual practice, where an engine must have its iire cleaned every few hours in order to obtain proper draft and prevent the re box lilling up with ashes.

By utilizing the exhaust from the Vairpump engine, as well as that from the steam cylinders, a portion of the air-pump exhaust may be diverted under the grates while the locomotive is not working. As soon as the locomotive starts to use steam in the cylinders, and thereby brightens the lire, all of the air-pump exhaust is driven backward under the grates, together with the exhaust steam entrapped from the cylinders. In this manner the air-pump exhaust steam is automatically used under the iire when needed, and is diverted into the stack when not needed.

The system can be arranged to exhaust the steam into the ash pan at a considerable distance below the grates, or through small openings arranged along the sides of the pan immediately under the grates, according to the shape of the ash pan. On ash pans with wide iire boxes it is of advantage to have both types of openings into the pan, the jets along the sides of the fire box being used to distribute the steam close to the side sheets of the lire box and also to keep the flaring sides of the fire box clear of ashes.

It will be obvious that my invention is susceptible of various other modiications in its details of construction and arrangement besides those which I have shown and described.

I claim l. A locomotive having a steam exhaust pipe leading from its steam cylinders into its ash pan, and having an air pump exhaust pipe emptying into said steam pipe.

2. A locomotive having a steam exhaust pipe leading from its steam cylinders into the ash pan, and another pipe leading from its air-pump exhaust and connecting with the Erst-named pipe, said connections providing means whereby the air pump exhaust steam is driven into the ash pan when there is exhaust steam escaping from the steam cylinders.

3. A locomotive having a steam exhaust pipe leading from its steam cylinders into its ash pan, and another pipe leading from the exhaust of its air-pump and connecting pipes and the ash pan. 4. A'locomotive `having Va steam exhaust vpipe leading from its steam cylinders into its ash pan, and another pipe leading from lthe exhaust of its air-pump'and connecting with said exhaust pipe,

the exhaust pipe having-'a valve between'the juncture of said pipesan'd the steam cylinders.

5. locomotive having a pipe leading from the exhaust port of its steam cylinders and the exhaust opening of its air-pump into the space in the ash pan below the lire grates of the locomotive, a portion of said pipe carrying the exhaust steam from both of these sources.

6. A locomotive having a pipe leading from the exhaust port of its steam cylinders and the exhaust opening of its air-pump into the space in the ash pan below the re grates, said pipe havinga valve torestrict or shut off said exhaust.

7. A locomotive having with the exhaust port yof its steam cylinder, and also with the exhaust from its airpump, said pipe extending along the ash pan immediately below the mud ring of the fire box and having discharge openings to admit steam below the grates, said pipe having valves arranged to control the steam from either source, the exhaust steam from the steam cylinder acting to force exhaust steam from the air pump through said pipe.

8. A locomotive having a pipe connected with the exhaust port of its steam cylinders, and also with the exhaust from its airpump, and provided with valves to control the amount of steam admitted from either ofV said sources, said pipe also having a branch connected with the steam space of the locomotive boiler, the pipe extending along the side of the ash pan and having a plurality of discharge apertures to admit steam under the grate, the exhaust steam from the steam cylinder acting to force exhaust steam from the air pump through said pipe.

9. A locomotive having a steam pipe connected with the locomotive boiler and extending along the side of the ash pan immediately under the mud ring of the lire box, and provided with a plurality of openings or nozzles at intervals arranged to blow jets of live steam into the ash pan, and means for connecting said nozzles with the exhaust from the air pump and steam cylinders.

l0. A locomotive having a system of pipj ingconnected to the exhaust of its steam cylinders and also to the exhaust of its airpump, and, also to the steam space of its boiler, said system of piping having an opening into the ash pan below the grates, and having valves so arranged in its a pipe connected branches that steam can he admitted under the grates from any one or all of the several sources of steam, said pipes being so arranged that the exhaust from the steam cylinders drives the air pump exhaust steam into the ash pan.

1l. A locomotive having a pipe connected to the exhaust of its air pump, said pipe having a connection to the exhaust of the i0 locomotive steam cylinders and being arranged to deliver the exhaust steam from the air-pump into the ash pan by means of the pressure of the exhaust steam from said pipe to the locomotive steam cylinders.

y In testimony vvhereoi7 l have hereunto 15 C'opies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

